Zhao Xing spent only three years completely comprehending the life dao diagrams on the island.
"Roar!"
Three years later, on a certain day, a furious roar echoed across the island!
A demon ape shot up from the peak, heading straight for the dark clouds in the sky.
"Boom!"
The surging vitality shattered the clouds, and the previously impenetrable layer of clouds was broken, leaving a hole in the sky.
"The life dao diagram of an early-stage Emperor-level ancient martial artist is really helpful!" The demon ape excitedly looked at its hand, feeling the surging power within its body.
"Internal cultivation of the transformation technique is inherently varied. It requires time to observe the life structures of countless races and gather enough bloodlines to find the most suitable transformation method for oneself."
"Compared to collecting bloodlines and slowly experimenting, comprehending the life dao diagram is much faster."
After Zhao Xing comprehended the life dao diagram, he felt that the power of his Demon Ape Transformation had increased by about 3%.
Although it was only 3%, this was just the first floating island of the first layer.
There were over 100,000 floating islands in the first layer. If he could examine all of them? Zhao Xing felt that without using Blue Flower mana or Red Lotus energy to enhance it, after transforming, he could already possess Emperor-level power.
"The upper limit of the transformation technique is very high, and it is considered the most promising path to godhood by the current Heavenly Timing School."
After the transformation, one becomes a different life form. The original race limitations and cultivation restrictions no longer exist in the transformed state.
By transforming into certain special life forms, one's innate talent could become terrifying, and they could learn previously impossible secret techniques and possess unimaginable strength.
In the theory of the Heavenly Timing School, the ultimate goal of transformation to godhood is to become one of those 'born gods,' a special life form, commonly referred to as the ancient god clans. For example, the resurrected ancient god of the Dongyan Clan belongs to such a special life form.
"However, looking through 100,000 islands one by one would be too time-consuming," Zhao Xing thought. "If each island takes three years, even if I increase efficiency by nearly a hundred times, it would still take over 3,000 years. I must improve efficiency."
Whoosh~~~
Zhao Xing touched the ring on his hand, and one by one, straw puppets appeared on the island.
"Here, the internal world and storage rings cannot be opened because they possess qualities similar to the [law realm]. The Extreme Star Floating Island Secret Realm created by Bai Han is essentially a law realm."
"Law realms and law realms conflict with each other, but ordinary storage rings lack a perfect operational law."
"These straw puppets are my backup Primordial straw puppet bodies."
Although Zhao Xing's soul had split 101 times, he had prepared more than 200 sets of materials for Primordial straw puppets. His internal world, storage rings, and ordinary storage rings all contained materials for Primordial straw puppets.
As a Shennong of the Self School, Zhao Xing naturally had to consider extreme environments and the situation where the Primordial straw puppets were damaged in battle.
"Split."
Since there were four soul fragments outside, and the dark soul fragment had been devoured, Zhao Xing still had 100 soul fragments remaining.
Immediately, 96 soul fragments flew out from his Sea of Consciousness and entered the Primordial straw puppets.
The previously closed eyes of the Primordial avatars opened.
"Counting the main body, there are a total of 97 of me. All of the avatars can use Blue Flower mana. In the first layer, they can completely withstand the transformation technique."
"At the same time, comprehending the life dao diagrams on the floating islands saves a lot of time."
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh~~~
The avatars flew in different directions to explore the first layer.
Three years later, Zhao Xing comprehended 98 life dao diagrams, and the power of his Demon Ape Transformation doubled.
Six years later, Zhao Xing had comprehended 195 life dao diagrams, and the power of his Demon Ape Transformation increased by another 70%.
In the twelfth year, 292 life dao diagrams were comprehended.
Time passed, and in the blink of an eye, 210 years had passed.
On the first layer of the Extreme Star Floating Island, Zhao Xing's main body stood up slowly beneath a purple thundercloud.
"It's almost done."
"I've already gone through most of the 100,000 floating islands."
If he spent three years on each of the 100,000 floating islands, even with 100 times the efficiency, it would take over 3,000 years. So, he hadn't planned to spend three years on each island.
The life dao diagrams on the first layer were just the beginning. Zhao Xing had completely comprehended them.
As the power of his Demon Ape Transformation gradually weakened, Zhao Xing began to forcefully memorize and grasp the technique at a basic level.
For races with similar characteristics or close bloodlines, he would only take a quick glance.
After all, the first layer only had early-stage Emperor-level life dao diagrams.
In fact, by the 89th year, the power of his Demon Ape Transformation could no longer increase.
From then on, the time spent was purely for refining and further solidifying his understanding, aiming for a more stable mastery.
"At this point, I've already learned more than 3,000 transformation techniques."
"Even without the need to enhance them with two types of energy, I already have 18 variations, all stable at the early Emperor level."
"With 18 variations, all at the early Emperor battle power level, I can switch between them easily to adapt to different battle situations."
Zhao Xing transformed into birds and beasts, demon apes, spirit turtles, and even special life forms like rock giants.
"The life dao diagrams of the first layer are limited, and the secret techniques derived from them are also limited. It's time to go to the higher levels."
Zhao Xing looked up at the sky.
On the second layer of the Extreme Star Floating Island, the number of floating islands was greatly reduced, with only 360 remaining.
On the third layer, there were 120 floating islands.
On the fourth layer, there were 49 floating islands.
On the fifth layer, there were 9 floating islands.
On the sixth layer, there were only 3 floating islands.
Because his foundation was solid, and after having seen almost all the life dao diagrams on the lower layers, Zhao Xing spent only 9 years on the second layer, completely comprehending the 360 life dao diagrams.
The 120 life dao diagrams on the third layer took 28 years to comprehend.
Upon entering the fourth layer, Zhao Xing encountered a familiar face.
"Ji Xia, the Palace Master."
Zhao Xing saw a giant moon spirit cat resting beneath the blue clouds at the center of the floating island. Its forehead bore the crescent mark, and its fur emitted energy in various colors. Its body was clad in seasonal law robes, and it wore a crown woven from green vines.
Palace Master Ji Xia is a top-level authority of the Four Seasons Palace, one of the strongest Heavenly Timing School factions within the Red Star Empire's territory. He is at the peak of the Emperor-level realm.
One of Zhao Xing's Primordial avatars had gone to find the Heavenly Timing technique, and the first stop was the Four Seasons Palace.
After the opening of the semi-divine cave, Ji Xia also purchased a quota through Zhao Xing.
"Zhao Xing?" Palace Master Ji Xia, who was licking his wound, immediately turned his head upon sensing someone approach.
"Palace Master, you're injured?" Zhao Xing asked, surprised, as he noticed a pitch-black crack on Ji Xia's left side, one that almost split him in two.
"Yes, I was injured by the array on the fifth layer," Ji Xia admitted, not hiding the truth, as his cat-like paw pointed upwards toward the fifth layer's floating island.
"The fifth layer's transformation array, even you couldn't withstand it?" Zhao Xing's heart skipped a beat.
"I'm not specialized in transformation techniques, I focus on cloud and rain techniques," Palace Master Ji Xia sighed. "Originally, I could have withstood the fifth layer's array, but the life dao diagram on the fifth layer is so intricate. It's a life structure I've never seen before. Without realizing it, I became so absorbed in comprehending it that I forgot to resist the transformation array—"
The premise of comprehension is to first withstand the transformation array on the floating island.
Palace Master Ji Xia could barely withstand the fifth layer's floating island array, but he had to devote all his focus to do so. He had been distracted by his attempts at comprehension and was naturally injured by the array.
Thus, he had no choice but to retreat to the floating island on the fourth layer to recover.
"That truly is a profound life dao diagram. If I could fully comprehend it, I would gladly give my life in exchange," Palace Master Ji Xia said, forgetting his wound for a moment, lost in thought, as he reminisced, falling into a state of reverie.
To hear the dao in the morning and die in the evening!
The treasures left behind by the cave's owner held a fatal attraction to a Shennong like Palace Master Ji Xia, who was even willing to sacrifice his life for it!
"The fifth layer..." Zhao Xing stood up and gazed upwards.
The fifth layer's transformation array had turned the Heavenly Martial Emperor into a monster and caused Palace Master Ji Xia to become intoxicated. Zhao Xing even felt a strong urge to rush up and examine it himself.
But he resisted.
He wasn't as strong as Emperor Ji Xia and the Heavenly Martial Emperor, so charging into the fifth layer recklessly could lead to a terrible outcome.
"Let's first thoroughly comprehend the forty-nine floating islands on the fourth layer before heading to the fifth layer." Seeing that Palace Master Ji Xia had lost interest in him, Zhao Xing silently made his way to the center of the floating island to study the life dao diagram of the fourth layer.
"Whoosh~"
Sunlight poured down from the clouds, and a scroll slowly unfolded. Compared to the first three layers, this life dao diagram was much more complex, and it didn't resemble the familiar human life origins.
"It looks like the advanced form of a rock-based life I saw in the first three layers."
Zhao Xing focused and tried to piece together the life form.
The dao diagram in front of him seemed to transform into a tree structure. The first three layers represented the roots, countless branches, and now he was seeing the higher-level trunk.
"The Rock God Giant race has already been wiped out, just like the Deep Sea Siren race. I wonder which branch of the race I'm seeing." Zhao Xing kept probing.
He named this life dao diagram the Rock God Life Dao Diagram.
About four months later, Zhao Xing felt that he still had some energy left after comprehending the Rock God Life Dao Diagram, so he decided to send out his avatars to explore the other eight floating islands.
"Whoosh!"
When Zhao Xing landed on another island of the fourth layer, a mountain suddenly flew towards him, aiming to crush him.
"Hmm?"
Zhao Xing immediately cast a spell.
"Shatter! Break wall!"
The massive mountain was instantly split into eight pieces, and then it continuously shattered and shrank, with the remaining stones no longer posing a threat.
"Clatter, clatter, clatter!" A torrent of broken stones struck Zhao Xing's Primordial avatar, shattering upon contact.
Zhao Xing's Primordial avatars were made from the material of reincarnation path soldiers sourced from the Xuzu Star System.
Even the backup materials were mid-grade reincarnation path soldier level, and the strongest had ten bodies, with three of them made from high-grade materials.
The Primordial straw puppets made from the materials of Giant Sun, Tai Xu, and Primordial were on par with the Xuzu body, so their defense was naturally very solid.
"Whoosh!"
Another mountain shattered, only for an even larger one to come crashing down.
Zhao Xing frowned.
Clearly, someone on the island didn't want to share the life dao diagram with others.
Using such crude methods as throwing mountains, this person was undoubtedly a Qi Clan martial artist.
This Qi Clan martial artist was quite formidable; Zhao Xing couldn't sense his aura, vitality, or even his soul.
"I wonder who the senior is here. My name is Zhao Xing, from the Empire's Original World—"
After dodging the second mountain, Zhao Xing called out, intending to use his name to see if he could negotiate with the person.
However, there was no response, and the third wave of attacks came as eight mountains suddenly slammed toward him.
"Boom!"
Zhao Xing's eyes flashed with murderous intent. Green flames enveloped him as he erupted from the mountain range.
Ever since the Empire began, Zhao Xing had been trapped under the Five-Finger Mountain by Wu Tian for five hundred years, then he saved Emperor Hongshan from the Shattered Boundary Mountain, and again, he was trapped for over one hundred and eighty years.
He had been knocked over by the massive mountain of the Xuzu Star System during a battle.
Zhao Xing truly hated the feeling of being crushed by mountains.
"No matter who you are, I warn you, stop throwing mountains at me!"
"Get out of here! You're not even qualified to step on my island!"
A voice like rolling thunder suddenly came from the east.
At the eastern edge of the floating island, 80,000 miles away, a muscular man with red hair and eight diamond-shaped armor plates on his chest sent a warning.
The Lord of the Tooth Stone was able to crush Zhao Xing with eight giant mountains, but his aura had become even stronger, which made Zhao Xing wary.
However, the Lord of the Tooth Stone did not recognize Zhao Xing. He had been in seclusion for many years, and Zhao Xing's rise only began a few thousand years ago.
He had purchased a quota through the War God Temple, and though he knew the War God Temple had another partner, he was only familiar with the Five Poison Emperor, Hongshan Emperor, and Zuo Qiyu. As for Zhao Xing, he had never heard of him before.
Zhao Xing finally locked onto the location of his opponent. From the panel, he learned that this was a Qi Clan martial artist at the late Lord-level, named "Ya Shi."
"Calling you senior, yet you're still panting! Turns out you're just a Lord-level?"
Zhao Xing's Primordial avatar immediately switched positions with his main body.
Inside the law realm, his Primordial avatar and main body could instantly teleport.
"Boom!"
Without saying anything further, Zhao Xing activated the Red Lotus Demon Ape Transformation and charged at Lord Ya Shi.
"Huh?"
Lord Ya Shi, who had been comprehending the life dao diagram in the sky, felt Zhao Xing's suddenly surging aura. He looked over, somewhat surprised.
"Just a moment ago, his aura was only at the Emperor-level initial stage, how did it suddenly increase so much?"
"Could he be from the demon race? Is this his true form?!"
Lord Ya Shi didn't recognize this as a transformation technique. After all, Zhao Xing's transformation technique had reached a very advanced level.
Furthermore, how could an Emperor-level initial stage aura unleash such an astonishing effect through a transformation technique?
Lord Ya Shi no longer underestimated his opponent, as he sensed that this Demon Ape before him was a true threat.
He immediately stopped his comprehension, flying into the air to meet him.
"Monster, take this hammer!"
Lord Ya Shi rushed forward, his large hammer turning into a streak of light, with layers of space overlapping, which caught Zhao Xing off guard.
Among Qi Clan martial artists, it was rare to see weapon users, but Lord Ya Shi clearly knew how to wield one.
The hammer dao soldier, combined with spatial secret techniques, created an incredibly powerful force, yet its trajectory was agile and nimble.
Zhao Xing, however, met Lord Ya Shi's meteoric hammer with his bare palm.
After more than two hundred years of refining his Demon Ape Transformation through the first three layers, Zhao Xing's power could rival a mid-Emperor Qi Clan martial artist, with his Red Lotus power enhancement pushing it to the late Emperor level.
For a Lord-level martial artist to reach the fourth layer, they had to be a prodigy. Zhao Xing wasn't convinced that Ya Shi could outmatch his strength.
"Boom!"
The massive hammer was immediately caught by Zhao Xing's hand, creating visible spatial ripples between his hand and the hammer.
Lord Ya Shi froze. "He actually caught it!"
Catching his own life dao soldier with his bare hand, even though it was just a mid-grade dao soldier, was still quite an astonishing feat.
But what was even more astonishing was what happened next.
"Ha!"
With a single forceful motion, Zhao Xing's Demon Ape claw, enhanced by Red Lotus power, exploded with light, crushing the meteoric hammer into fragments!
"What?!" Lord Ya Shi's eyes widened in disbelief.
Crushing it? He never imagined his meteoric hammer would be crushed by someone. This was simply monstrous!
However, what he didn't know was that Zhao Xing's Demon Ape Transformation had been perfected, and its innate secret technique had also been enhanced. One of the Demon Ape tribe's innate abilities, World-Shattering Palm, was improved by incorporating over 100,000 life dao diagrams from the first three layers. It could even crush the boundary walls.
Combined with the destructive amplification of Red Lotus power, the result was such an exaggerated effect on a mid-grade reincarnation dao soldier. If it were a higher-level dao soldier, Zhao Xing would not have been able to crush it.
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"
Zhao Xing, using the Demon Ape tribe's innate secret technique, flung the broken pieces of the hammer back at Lord Ya Shi.
A meteor shower descended, the fragments burning with Red Lotus power, each piece moving incredibly fast, and their power comparable to a full-force strike from a mid-Emperor-level martial artist.
Lord Ya Shi immediately stiffened. His body suddenly extended eight arms, each holding a hammer, with the same quality as the previous one.
"Clang, clang, clang, clang!!!"
The eight large hammers stirred the clouds and winds, as if the heavens were about to collapse, smashing against the meteor shower.
With perfect timing, the eight large hammers shone even brighter than the meteor shower, managing to block every single piece.
However, with each block, Lord Ya Shi took a step back. After the meteor shower passed, he was forced into the rocky layers behind him.
His arms were red and swollen, his golden bones sore, and his qi and blood were half depleted!
"Ha... ha..." Lord Ya Shi panted heavily.
When he regained his bearings and the smoke cleared, he found that Zhao Xing had already appeared right in front of him, staring at him coldly.
Lord Ya Shi took a deep breath. He knew he was no match for his opponent.
"Now, am I qualified?" Zhao Xing's pink hair fluttered as his muscular red-skinned body burned with red flames. He looked at Lord Ya Shi with indifference.
"If you want to kill me, just do it. What's all the talk about? You think I'm going to bow down to the demon race? Hmph!" Lord Ya Shi stood tall with disdain.
Zhao Xing switched back to his human form and scolded, "Open your eyes and see clearly, I'm a legitimate Shennong transformation technique user! You're the demon, and your whole family's demons!"
"Ah?" Lord Ya Shi looked confused. "You... you are Shennong?"
"I just said it, didn't I? I'm a Coral-level member from the Original World."
"Clang!" Lord Ya Shi threw all eight of his iron hammers on the ground and immediately knelt on one knee. "I have been blind. Please forgive me, senior."
"Senior, I don't have anything valuable on me. The quota I bought has already drained my liquid assets, but these eight iron hammers are still worth something. Please accept them as an apology from me."
"Hmph, where did you come from? Your skills are average, but your temper is quite something." In reality, Lord Ya Shi was already quite strong.
Among the Qi Clan martial artists Zhao Xing had encountered, very few used weapons. Lord Ya Shi, although not at the Emperor level, was strong enough with his weapon to fight on par with a mid-Emperor-level.
"Senior, I'm from the Liufang Kingdom," Lord Ya Shi honestly admitted. "A millennium ago, I responded to the Empire's call to participate in the 'Rice River War.' I met a friend from the War God Temple, Emperor Sha Yu. I made some contributions during that time, and after gaining my merits, I went into seclusion."
"This time, it was my friend, Emperor Sha Yu, who reminded me to come out and explore the ruins. I didn't intend to kill anyone earlier, I was just annoyed."
Zhao Xing could tell that Lord Ya Shi had no intention to kill him, which was why he had allowed him to live.
The spiritual flame that surged from the Void River was an important source of irrigation for many grain systems in the southern part of the Empire.
A millennium ago, a great war broke out between the Empire and the Ten Thousand Rivers Demon Kingdom over the Void River in the southern border. Liufang Kingdom was one of the Empire's vassal kingdoms in the south.
"I can spare your life and take no treasure from you, but you have to guard me."
Lord Ya Shi was strong, and if he could use the Transformation Array to form a safe zone, Zhao Xing's speed in comprehending the diagrams would also increase.
"Thank you, senior. Ya Shi is willing to serve you," Lord Ya Shi said with great joy.
"From what you're saying, there are many others still on these forty-nine islands?" Zhao Xing asked.
Over the course of more than two hundred years, he hadn't kept track of how many people had entered the Extreme Star Islands. He had been focusing on refining his techniques on the first three layers, and perhaps some people had come in and gone straight to the higher layers for comprehension.
"I'm not sure about the details, but there should be quite a few." Lord Ya Shi replied. "The majority of them entered in groups at the Emperor level. Most are Shennong working with a powerful protector, or doctors with a strong escort."
"You're not the first to come to me. Over the past one hundred eighty years, I've seen fifty-three people."
Constantly being interrupted, Lord Ya Shi had been unable to focus on his comprehension. That was why he resorted to attacking at the slightest provocation. After being bothered so many times, when he finally encountered someone he thought might be an easy target, he intended to vent his frustration, only to run into a wall. He couldn't break through the level, nor could he leave, so he was about to give up and face death, hoping that reincarnation might give him a chance at life.
"So many people have come?" Zhao Xing was somewhat surprised. He had reported to Meng Wu of the War God Temple through his avatar.
Could it be that the stronger individuals outside thought he wanted to monopolize the benefits?
The more warnings he issued, the more people came?
"It seems the opposite has happened," Zhao Xing quickly realized. "Since Emperor Fu Zhi obtained a divine item, there might be another divine item born."
Just as the Yuanhai Assembly summoned so many strong martial artists for a single divine item, it was the same now. Danger? Strong individuals who feared death wouldn't have reached such a high level of cultivation.
"A hundred years ago, the Heavenly Master's Manor stated that if one possessed a supreme reincarnation dao soldier, even if they didn't pass the second trial, they could use it to escape by reincarnating." Lord Ya Shi provided more information.
Zhao Xing closed his eyes and carefully sensed. After a long while, his avatar in the outside world quickly confirmed the news.
A supreme reincarnation dao soldier could indeed allow one to reincarnate and escape.
If it were a lower-tier soldier, the probability was just a bit lower.
"No wonder you only have a few hammers. You've spent all your resources outside, haven't you?" Zhao Xing laughed.
"Not really." Lord Ya Shi chuckled. "I've always been poor and can't afford high-grade or supreme-grade treasures."
"Alright, take me to see the life dao diagram on this island. If I can pass the trial, I'll help you get out."
"Yes, senior, this way, please."
Lord Ya Shi named this island Ya Shi Island, where there was a God Feather Tribe life dao diagram.
It was said that during the Feather Emperor era, the God Emperor "Feather" married a powerful being from the Demon God Temple, bringing peace between the human and demon races for ten millennia.
Since then, descendants of the Feather Emperor and the demon race lived and prospered in the land, gradually forming a new race known as the God Feather Tribe.
Zhao Xing quickly entered a state of deep comprehension from the God Feather Life Dao Diagram, almost as if he were an academic studying the Dao.
The first thing that caught his eye was a pair of pure white wings.
"Legend has it that Princess Yu Yao had seven wings, but here, there is only one pair, with ten thousand eight hundred feathers. Each feather contains the Dao's principles. But here, there are only thirty-seven thousand feathers."
"It seems that Bai Han did not capture a high-ranking member of the God Feather Tribe." Zhao Xing pondered the Dao rhythms of the diagram.
His back suddenly itched, and after seven months, a pair of flesh wings grew out, though they were red feathers.
Lord Ya Shi, who was observing from the side, was incredibly shocked. "Only seven months, and you've grown wings? Your comprehension speed is so fast. Which senior from the Empire are you? How come I've never heard of you?"
Zhao Xing tried to fly, but then he returned to the comprehension area somewhat dissatisfied.
"Not good, combining the Demon Ape Tribe physique is redundant. Although it speeds up the process a bit, it hinders the use of World-Shattering Palm. No matter how I adjust, it's still slower by a thousand moments compared to my non-winged state. This combination of transformation techniques is clearly imperfect."
A thousand moments—or one-thousandth of a second—was already a noticeable delay in Emperor-level battles.
"However, I could try combining it with the Thunder Roc Tribe," Zhao Xing murmured and sat back down to continue comprehending the diagram.
Lord Ya Shi, being obedient, created a blood barrier to protect Zhao Xing from interference by the Transformation Array.
In no time, thirty years had passed.
While Zhao Xing comprehended the Dao of Life, his understanding quickly grew, and he occasionally gained new secret techniques.
He even taught some of the techniques he had learned to Lord Ya Shi, who made significant progress.
As a Shennong, Zhao Xing also planted some spiritual plants on the floating island for sustenance.
Given how difficult the fifth layer was, the sixth layer seemed even more hopeless. The trial was destined to be a prolonged battle.
Most of those who entered could not rely solely on the spiritual supplies they brought with them, so many began to claim land, absorbing the spiritual energy from the islands, preparing for long-term survival.
Zhao Xing also decided to treat Ya Shi Island as a base, in case he encountered difficulties when comprehending the fifth layer. He could always retreat here to recuperate.
With food and drink available, and some progress in cultivation, Lord Ya Shi became increasingly diligent, showing Zhao Xing even more respect.
By the thirty-fifth year, Zhao Xing had hit a bottleneck in his comprehension of both the Rock God Life Dao Diagram and the Divine Feather Life Dao Diagram, so he finally decided to change locations.
Lord Ya Shi was too weak and didn't know much about the people on the forty-nine floating islands of the fourth layer, but Palace Master Ji Xia was well-informed.
Thirty years had passed, and Palace Master Ji Xia was still healing, but had made significant progress.
Palace Master Ji Xia spoke, "Bai Han respected everything to the extreme. For Emperor-level cultivators to get enough spiritual energy, they must occupy a floating island in the fourth layer to survive."
"As time goes on, the competition for the floating islands in the first four layers will intensify for survival."
"If you want to go to the other floating islands, you can first go to Starfish Island. This is the territory of Emperor Black Sea and Emperor Xuxing."
Emperor Black Sea was the deputy leader of the Shenhai Alliance, and he was the father of Zhu Haichao. Emperor Xuxing, on the other hand, came from Ziwu Tian Shi Hall, and was one of its hall masters, also the grandfather of Jiang Tianzu. Both of them were connected to Zhao Xing through their descendants and had helped him obtain a quota for entry.
Zhao Xing had delayed for six months due to negotiations with them.
"The Extreme Star Islands of the second trial have a very large space, and they are constantly rotating, along with the Dark River Dao Tracks. If you follow the path I gave you, it will take about half a month to safely fly there."
"I understand. Thank you for the guidance, Palace Master." Zhao Xing immediately set off.
Following Palace Master Ji Xia's directions, after about half a month, Zhao Xing saw an island ahead, dark yellow in color, emerging from the void clouds.
Upon looking at the position, Zhao Xing realized that the two Emperors really knew how to pick a location. This Starfish Island was indeed one of the more concealed spots among the forty-nine islands of the fourth layer.
"Who's there?!"
As soon as he landed on the edge of the island, a voice immediately shouted at him.
"Two seniors, I am Zhao Xing."
Zhao Xing stopped and declared his identity.
"Yinshua~"
The Lord of the Black Sea and Palace Master Xuxing both appeared at the same time. Upon seeing Zhao Xing, they invited him in.
"It's really you, Zhao Xing! How did you find this place?"
"It was Palace Master Ji Xia's guidance," Zhao Xing cupped his hands.
"I see." The Lord of the Black Sea asked, "Has Palace Master Ji Xia's injury healed?"
"Not fully," Zhao Xing shook his head. "The power of the fifth layer's transformation technique is too strong, the injury is constantly transforming at the life essence level, and the recovery is slow."
"Bai Han is truly terrifying, to be able to set up such a powerful transformation law realm." Palace Master Xuxing sighed. "I've been here for two hundred seven years, but I still don't dare stay too long in the fifth layer. The longest I've lasted is thirty-seven days. I didn't dare to spend any effort on comprehension during that time."
Lord Xuxing could only stay in the fifth layer's nine floating islands for thirty-seven days? Zhao Xing couldn't help but be amazed.
"Zhao Xing, you must never go to the fifth layer," Palace Master Xuxing warned. "It's better to wait for someone to clear the trial, then we'll go together. Otherwise, you'll have no choice but to reincarnate."
"Understood," Zhao Xing nodded. He definitely wouldn't attempt the fifth layer now. Without confidence, going there would be suicide.
Even someone as powerful as Emperor Tianwu had been trapped forever in the fifth layer.
"Do you know, senior, who stayed the longest on the fifth layer's floating islands?" Zhao Xing asked.
"Not exactly sure," the Lord of the Black Sea shook his head. "But there are four who stayed the longest: Huo An Carlos, Sword King Ye Liuxin, Emperor Chixiao, and a mysterious figure whose identity is unknown."
"I've gone to the fifth layer seventy-five times with Emperor Xuxing, and each time we saw these four people."
Zhao Xing nodded.
Among these four, the mysterious figure was irrelevant, but Huo An Carlos was well-known. He was the son of a semi-god and a martial weapon user.
Sword King Ye Liuxin was famous in the southern part of the Empire. The Rice River Battle, in which Lord Ya Shi participated, had been led by him.
As for Emperor Chixiao, he was an old acquaintance. During the Yuanhai Ancient Kingdom's law meeting, among the nine Emperor-level cultivators, there was a Shennong cultivator, and that was Emperor Chixiao.
"Alright, enough about that. Zhao Xing, you came to comprehend the life dao diagram, right? The one on this floating island is quite interesting, I'm sure you'll be intrigued," the Lord of the Black Sea smiled.
"Oh?" Zhao Xing, hearing this, became genuinely interested.
"Swish, swish, swish~"
The three of them stepped on clouds, and in an instant, they arrived at the center of the floating island, where a golden cloud surrounded them.
As Zhao Xing and the others entered, golden light fell, intertwining to form a part of a painting, slowly unfurling.
"Roar~"
Zhao Xing was the first to hear a sound, followed by the sight of a purple scale that resembled fish scales.
Gradually, a creature with antlers like a deer, a neck like a snake, claws like an eagle, paws like a tiger, and a head like a camel appeared before his eyes.
Zhao Xing instinctively pieced together its bloodline structure, and as his body shook, he was surprised to break away from his comprehension.
"Haha, how is it?" The Lord of the Black Sea smiled. "Doesn't this species resemble an ancient species from your Great Zhou? We've never seen it anywhere else."
Zhao Xing was speechless because he had just felt a familiar connection, as though it originated from the same source.
This wasn't merely a resemblance—it was clearly the bloodline of the Dragon Clan that ascended from the Xuanhuang Realm!